A copious investigation by news agency Reuters found that Apple’s biggest iPhone assembling partner, Foxconn, was issuing details in recruitment posters that stated that the company was looking to fill positions for women who were unmarried and were between the ages of 18 and 32. Since the evidence came to light, Foxconn has removed those tidbits, but not before garnering the worst kind of attention.
Foxconn and Apple have yet to offer an explanation on why those remarks were mentioned in iPhone assembling job postings
Between January 2023 and May 2024, Reuters reviewed multiple iPhone assembling job applications that required unmarried women of specified ages to carry out specific tasks in the plant. Foxconn employs thousands of women at the iPhone factory in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, and outsources recruitment of assembly-line workers to third-party vendors. These ‘head hunters’ search and screen for eligible candidates, after which they are interviewed and hired by Foxconn.
These recruitment requirements go against Apple and Foxconn’s anti-discrimination policies, but neither of them has commented on Reuters’ investigation. Days after the agency broke the news, Foxconn’s HR executives instructed recruitment agents to standardize recruitment materials in accordance with templates provided by the company and were informed not to speak with the media.
One unnamed agent told Reuters that in a meeting that happened in late June, the same executives had warned not to use Foxconn’s name in any ads and failure to comply would result in termination. Details specifying the gender, age and marital status were also strictly told to be removed. Dilip Cherian, a communications consultant and co-founder of Indian public relations firm Perfect Relations, mentioned that the surfacing of the news forced Foxconn to immediately alter its job advertising practices as it would have a deleterious impact on Apple’s reputation.
Cherian mentioned that it remains to be seen if the latest move is a real change of heart from Foxconn’s side or if it results from external stimuli that caused the company to make amends. Given that Apple’s assembling partner hires workers who are engaged in packaging iPhones for hours, hiring unmarried women in a specific age group meant that these individuals could work longer hours and resist the eventual burnout phase while also not being pressured to fulfill the obligations required of them at home by their spouse.
Regardless, it is possible that Foxconn has to face legal repercussions for its actions, but it will be interesting to see what action Apple takes to ensure that such acts are not committed in any region ever again.
News Source: Reuters
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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